What if I Can’t Afford to Make Bail?

The primary function of bail is to assure that a person accused of a crime returns for his or her court hearings. However, the judge will also take into consideration the nature of the offense and the future safety of the victim and community when setting bail. As a result, an accused individual is sometimes given an extremely high bail amount.

If bail is too high for an arrested individual to make, then his or her lawyer must seek a reduction from the Judge at the first possible opportunity. In some cases, a request for a bail reduction can be done at the arraignment or in a special hearing. If the Judge will not agree to a reduction, then the lawyer should be prepared to file a Writ of Habeas Corpus, which states the reasons why the client is being held in violation of the U.S. and Texas constitutions.

You also have the option of hiring a professional bail bondsman who will post bail on your behalf. A bail bondsman will usually charge a nonrefundable fee of approximately 10% of the bail amount, and some may allow the balance to be paid in installments. You may be able to provide collateral such as property or items in order to make the 10% fee.

I was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. My wife and I contacted Mr. Ed Chernoff on a Sunday afternoon and met with him on Sunday evening. He agreed to represent me and showed up the next morning to court. Ed assured us that it may be a long road ahead but was confident that he may be able to get the charges dismissed. Ed made me very aware of everything that was taking place and why it was. My case only took about six months until I received a call from Ed to congratulate me as my case had been No billed by a grand jury. In my opinion there was no other man for the job. I appreciate the no BS attitude and the abundance of knowledge and experience from Ed Chernoff.

I had been accused of domestic assault in 2013. With the help of my parents and the internet I retained Ed Chernoff. He guided me through the legal system which included the bond process followed by two years of multiple resets. I went to trial in June of 2015. After 2 days of testimony and excellent representation by Ed, I was found not guilty.

I highly recommend Ed Chernoff as a knowledgeable and very skilled criminal defense attorney.

Mr. Chernoff was everything I wanted in a Lawyer. He is honest and professional and will not sugarcoat the process. And Trust me, it's a process. Everything described by Mr. Chernoff in our first consultation came true. I was facing a resisting arrest charge that I could not have on my record and he was able to get the case dropped!!! He never once told me this was going to be an easy, but promised, together we would beat the case. He called me on Monday and gave me the great news. If you need a lawyer, "better call Ed"!

I came upon a very personal matter that required an attorney. I first contacted another attorney who told me to wait till I was charged before getting representation in which I knew was not a good idea. I then reached out to Attorney Chernoff who has been a heaven sent. When I first visited with Attorney Chernoff he listened and started taking notes immediately which let me know that he was very organized. If you are facing any kind of situation that requires an attorney please choose Attorney Chernoff. I promise you will not regret your decision.

Last summer, I was charged with possession of marijuana 5-50 pounds. It's a third degree State felony and can get you 2-10 years in a State prison and/or a fine of $10000. While in custody, the police would try to intimidate me. They said if I tried to fight the case in court they would slap more charges on me. The police assured me my best bet was to plead guilty or cooperate with the detectives, because the evidence against me was far too great for any other option. I received several consultations from well known lawyers around Houston. They said best case scenario, I could get probation and maybe get my felony dropped down to a misdemeanor.
Then a friend recommended me to Ed Chernoff. I spoke with Ed and told him the facts about my case. Right off the bat he seemed optimistic about getting the whole case dismissed. At first I was taken back a little because getting my charges dropped was never even an option to me! After reading his impressive reviews online and hearing his great success rate I decided to hire him. He immediately went to work for my defense. He took care of everything in a very professional way. Anytime I needed to contact him or ask for help, he always there. He broke down the process of things in ways I could easily understand.
After working non stop in my favor we finally had everything we needed to file for a Motion to Suppress (throwing out the evidence). And sure enough our motion was granted and my case was DISMISSED! I couldn't believe it. I went from being completely hopeless to everything dropped. No jail time and no felony on my record. Its like the whole thing never even happened.
If you are looking for lawyer to just go through the motions with you and receive results that are "good enough.. then by all means go with them. But if you want an attorney the will fight for you and get you the ABSOLUTE BEST verdict, Ed Chernoff is second to none.